I think for many general laypeople (not the HN tech-oriented), there IS confusion. It is also not helped by Tesla's marketing, such as naming the system "autopilot" which has a different colloquial meaning than may be understood in engineering circles. Note how most other manufacturers are generally prefer naming their systems some variant of "driver assist" or "cruise control"
And Wikipedia: "Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle"
That's why I was careful to say the colloquial definition. IMO this is also why other companies deliberately name their systems something like "driver assist". It errs on the side of removing ambiguity.
The colloquial definition is generally much more aligned with "operating without having to focus on the task at hand." I don't think Tesla wants their drivers to operate the car without focusing on the act of driving because it has an "autopilot" feature.
The words from Elon's mouth make a clear separation between Autopilot as a driver assist system, and FSD as autonomy.
Furthermore, Autopilot constantly reminds you while driving. There is zero confusion.